Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ All's Fair... ❯ Chapter Seven: Let me assure you...There is no spoon. ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter Seven: Let me assure you…There is no spoon.

The scene in the kitchen consisted of a very sleepy looking Mokuba sitting at the head of the table, a neurotic looking Mina pacing back and forth, and a solemn looking Seto standing propped against one of the countertops.

"I'm so sleepy…" Mokuba murmured to himself, completely oblivious to the fact that Mina heard him clear as day. She forced herself to calm down and crouched down by his chair, hugging him unexpectedly. Mokuba tolerated this for a second, then gave a typical young boy's fidget. Mina let go.

"Seto…we have school tomorrow…let Mokuba go back to bed. It's midnight. He'll be wasted tomorrow if we keep him awake. Besides, whoever…"-here she gave an uncomfortable glance at her feet-"tried to turn me into a pincushion will probably be far away by now."

Seto looked unconvinced, but he gave a grudging nod. Mina took Mokuba by the hand and led him out of the kitchen, blandly deflecting his questions about pincushions by changing subjects at a remarkable speed. She was rattling on about rhinoceroses so quickly that Mokuba couldn't get a word in edgewise by the time they had reached the top of the stairs, and Seto managed a ghost of smile, knowing his brother well enough to understand that the questions would be answered in the morning. Early. Or else. (Author's note: Come to think of it, Mokuba sounds not unlike a certain friend of mine, who nags me constantly about chapters…hm…)

There was a short period of silence, and Seto resumed his brooding. Mina's feet started coming down the stairs.

Thirty-two steps, Seto thought, listening to every footfall with a look of intense concentration on his face. He did not believe what she had said about the person being far away by now-who knew if he was lurking somewhere behind a potted plant, ready to finish what he had started? And what does she know anyways? Came the terse voice in his head, and he found himself feeling annoyed and haughty. Not like she's ever had the insight to a master criminal's head. She's just a young girl, not seen enough nor gone through enough to understand completely. He conveniently breezed over the fact that he was less than a year older than her and decided it was his job as her sort-of guardian to protect her. Just like he protected Mokuba.

Twenty-nine. Three left.

And suddenly, the footfalls stopped. The house sank into a thick silence for a moment, and then there was a crash and a yelp of pain and surprise…

~*~*~*~*~

Three houses away, Cali Scizoran was sitting on her bed and silently contemplating the room she hadn't seen in nearly a year.

Well. Okay. It was more like she was contemplating the people she hadn't seen in nearly a year. Or person.

Guiltily, she lay back and crossed her arms behind her head, trying to make some sense out of the patterns of light on the ceiling that were made by the chandelier.

Calliope?

Silence. Cali gave a frown, shrugging. She wasn't spoiled and rotten, everyone needed time off now and then. Calliope was reliable, she would show up eventually. Cali trusted that feeling, and half-closed her eyes, drifting away to a time nearly a year ago that she remembered with amazing clarity…

----

<I>"Bakur-oh, well, you were here anyway so you just decided `oh, what the hell, I'm bored so I'll just make out with him?!'"

"No…!"

"You could've used some of this…this magic to resist him, you know."

"I couldn't…he'd attack me."

"Oh, of course, Miss Scizoran."

She had cried when he had called her that, his voice so cold an unfamiliar.

"Seto…don't…"

"You never cared for me at all. I was just someone for you to have a little fun with."

"No, Seto-"

Nononono! This was all turning out WRONG! Why wasn't he listening??

"I know I'm right. God, I opened myself up to you, and what happens? You just play me like a good card, like the ace that could win you the game."

"Seto… no."

No…No…That's not right at all! Please, please listen--!

"I don't want anything to do with you."</I>

----

Yes?

Cali opened her eyes slowly, sitting up.

Callio-

He hasn't forgotten, don't worry.

Cali looked a little relieved at this.

But he has found someone else.

What? As in another…

Another to love, yes.

There was more silence. Cali must have been feeling a little let down, as Calliope spoke again.

I truly did not expect it to happen. The love he had for me, and the love he has for you is incredibly strong.

So he still loves me.

Yes.

Then why…

Because he feels a stronger bond calling him to the other. But do not let it worry you. Maybe you two were not meant for each other this pass of destiny, or perhaps your fates are yet entwined. I could not truthfully tell you-the art of divination is uncertain and unclear. I only ever knew of one sorceress who was particularly adept at it in all forms, and she…disappeared…when she turned twenty four.

Ah. I see. Thanks…Calliope.

It's never an inconvenience. Rest now, you'll need your strength tomorrow.

You're right. Good night.

But she received no answer, and half satisfied and half uncomfortable with the conversation, she slid into bed and tossed the covers over herself. One clap of her hands and the lights went out, and Cali willed her mind to relax, drifting off into a peaceful sleep despite all.

~*~*~

Seto reacted with lightning speed, leaping into a sprint so fast that he slipped several times on the polished tile floor of the kitchen several times before running out of the room.

The voice in his head kept saying justified things to him, and he kept berating himself for letting her go alone. Through a dark mansion.

"Mina?" He called, skidding to a stop in front of a crumpled figure at the foot of the stairs. "……Mina! Answer me!" He bent down and checked for a pulse, finding one, he relaxed slightly and pulled her to a sitting position-but not without many whimpers from Mina. "My God. You're a mess. What happened? Who tried to get at you again…?"

"Seto…" Mina whispered slightly, her face dark and serious and solemn. "This house is not safe…"

"What…are you…"

"Seto…," She continued, taking a long, whimpering breath in, looking for strength to continue. "I…"

He put his hands on either of her shoulders, looking her in the eyes with some unfathomable expression.

"I…I fell down the stairs!"

---

If this had been an anime, Seto decided, once the intial words had worn off he would have done a classic facefault.

"You…uh…fell down the stairs?"

A sniffle.

"Y-yes!"

"There were three steps left, and you fell down them."

"Well, three and a half."

"You're a klutz."

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!"

Seto sighed and shook his head, hoisting her bodily to her feet and dusting her off.

"Okay. What did you slip on, Princess Elegance?"

"Um. Well, I didn't exactly slip. I think I sort of just tripped myself-"

"Tripped yourself?" Seto asked, sounding most amused.

"Yes," she snapped irritably, giving an injured sound of pride. "tripped myself."

"You little…idiot…" He murmured, and Mina was about to retort when he suddenly pushed her bangs out of her eyes like one does to a child. He looked sad and a little angry all at the same time-she wondered how someone who practiced being emotionless so much could change for one person. His eyes were extraordinary. "I was so afraid that I was going to lose you…" He whispered into her hair as he brought her close and closed his eyes, shaking his head. "I don't know what I would have done if-"

"Seto…I'll always be here," She whispered, slowly moving her arms around his neck and resting her forehead on his shoulder. "No matter what."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Seto stated softly, kissing her on the neck before pulling back and taking a seat wearily on the second to last step. "I made that promise to Mokuba when we were in the orphanage together, and there was a time not so long ago when I didn't come through with it. It's not a very smart promise to make, especially when someone depends on you…"

Mina felt as if she had just been chastised. And perhaps she had. But what really touched her was how he was letting go of his pride for once and admitting even he needed someone to hold on to…

"I will never, ever leave you, Seto. Just like I know you would never leave Mokuba or me. You're never alone, Seto, you never will be-" She dropped to her knees on the step in front of him, her hands framing his face. She was smiling consolingly, tears glistening in her eyes and threatening to fall. "because you'll always have…me…"

Wordlessly, he smiled and shook his head, patting the spot next to him on the step. Mina took the hint and sat down to his right.

"Hey…when I came in, you were tossing and turning like you were having a bad dream…want to talk about it?"

"Not particularly…but…Maybe I should…"

"What do you mean?"

"Nevermind. Really. It was stupid."

Seto gave her a skeptical look and she suddenly switched the subject.

"Yeah, and who was that on the phone earlier?" She asked suddenly, looking interested. Seto was about to answer when…

The phone rang.

The pair sat there staring at it, sitting so innocently on its little end table at the end of the banister.

"I'm not answering it." Mina declared uneasily, leaning back as if that would somehow help her avoid the duty.

"Chicken. It's probably just a telemarketer." All the same, Seto didn't move.

And then the answering machine clicked on.

"Hm. I know you're sitting there and watching the phone, Seto. Go on…pick it up. I have all night."

It was the same silky smooth voice from before, and this time it sounded a little…annoyed. Mina was frozen, staring at the answering machine with an indeterminable look on her face. Seto still did not move.

"Being stubborn, hm? It's a pity I didn't kill her. But don't worry, Seto, I'll get her out of your hair soon enough. Don't let her walk home alone anymore…haha…and don't leave her alone in the house anymore…I mean, you never know when something could happen and just-slice through her neck…" The voice sounded pleased almost, and from the corner of his eye, Seto saw Mina bend over double as if she were about to be violently sick.

"Well. I can tell that you're not in a very talkative mood tonight…that's rather disappointing. I bet you would have been fit to kill if there was someone pincushioned to the guest room bed upstairs. You always did prefer to have clean laundry…"

And with that, he was gone, static resounding in the room for a few seconds before fading into an eerie silence. Seto turned his head to look at Mina, who had her arms wrapped around herself and was pressing her forehead into the engraved banister pole.

"Well. Um. That was The Mastermind," He said slowly, looking worried.

Mina said nothing, but shut her eyes, her horror radiating from her so strongly that Seto did not wish to touch her.

I have all night…